Martinsburg gazette. (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1886-1887, 1887-01-28
4 HORRIBLE CRIME.
A MOTHER MURDERS FIVE OF HER
EIGHTCHILDREN.
And Finishes Her Awful Work BY Com
hitting Suicide.

Inc mOSb dpp41luS crime ov0E kuOWu In
the history Of Cleveland, Ohio, was commit
ted at an early hour the other morning on
Independence street, near Beryle Park. The
murderer was Tonia Cabalek, wife OF Vaclar
Cabalek, acarpenter, and the victims were
their five younger children. At o'clock
A. N. Cabalek started for work. accompanied
BY his eldest son, Albert, aged nineteen.
Soon after their departure Mr. Cabalek sent
two sons, Henry and George, aged fifteen and
twelve years, to q grocery half mile distant
to make some purchases. There were five
other children, James, aged ten; Antoinette
('sTonia'D eight; Mamie six, Willie four and
the baby three months Old As soon as
the elder boys were out of the house Mrs
Cabalek fastened the doors, and taking a
pair of sharp-bladed shears. nine inches long,
commenced the terrible slaughter Of her in.
nocent children. She first attacked James,
the elder of the five, stabbed him repeatedly
in the breast and bowels, paying no attention
to his frantic, pleading cries, until he sank
unconss ious on the floor. Then, like fury
maddened with the sight of blood, shs
rushed into an adjoining room, where
plunged the reeking blades Of her weapon
time and again into their tender flesh. Her
aim seemed to be, from the location of the
wounds, to pierce their hearts and then dis
embowel them in every case. Having made
sure that Tonia and Mamie were dead, the
frantic woman returned to the sitting room,
where the two youngest wer5 still sleeping
in trundle bed, AMI hacked and carved
them in q manner almost Incredible and be-
yond description.
Having completed her monstrous work,
the maddened woman now looked about for
the means of self-destruction. With the
bloody shears she cut down clothes line in
an upper chamber, carried it into the base
ment and ia .tened one end TO the ceiling.
Then she rolled in q water barrel, climbed
up en- it, fastened the rope securely about
her neck and kicked the barrel from under
her feet. The drop and the smallness of the
rope cut her threat almost from ear to ear,
the blood running in torrents down her gar
ments onto the floor.
When the boys returned from the grocery
they found the doors securely fastened, and,
in great alarm ran to acquaint their father
and elder brother with the facts Albert
reached the house first, and, with pre-
monition Of some terrible calamity, threw
himse.S against the door and burst it open.
His father followed moment later and
the sight that met Their eyes almost
made them insane with grief Scattered
about on the beds and on the floor were the
PROSTATE bodies of four of the children, each
one cut and slashed in O dozen different
places, swimming in blood, which literally
covered the floor, while at one side stood the
boy James, trying to dress himself, with
the blood pouring from dozen wounds
and his bowels protruding from frightful
cash across the abdomen. Tonia, the eldest
girl, was also alive, but uncons .ions, an6
never recovered sensibility. By this time
neighbors began to arrive. The police and
physicians were summoned, and the two liv.
ing children, whose thirteen wounds
each forbade the hope Of recovery,
were cared for as well as the excitement
and hurry allowed. Up to this time II
was not known that Mrs. Cabalek had con.
cluded her atrocious work with self-destruc-
tlon, but search of the dark basement com.
pleted the horror by the discovery Of her
hanging body. Very little doubt is enter
tanned that Mrs. Gabalek was insane Her
husband, and more especially her eldest son,
have noticed Teculiarities in her manner
since the birth of her last child
Cabalek is an industrious workman who
earns $2.25 q day, and with the assistance OF
his son was able to give his family every
reasonable comfort. He is forty years OF
age and his wife was thirty-six. She was q
handsome woman aud of the best reputation
They came from Bohemia to this country inn
mediataly after their marriage, twenty years
ago, and have lived in Cleveland most of the
tine. Their home Is q comfortable brick
dwelling and, although very plainly fur
nished, gave evidence OF the husband'sthrift
and the wifes faithful care. The family were
looked upon as rather in advance Of most OF
their compatriots, of whom nearly ten
thousand live in that part Of the city. The
husband is mentally paralyzed by the mis-
fortune that has come so suddenly and with
such crushing weight upon him, and
it is doubted if he will ever fully
recover from the shock. The eldest
son, who idolized his mother is almost ma.
MAC in his grief. and watch has to be kept
upt In him. So far as can be discovered there
was absolutely no motive for the crime, the
relations of the family having always been
kindly to each other